The present invention relates to a golf ball having a reduced distance compared with official golf balls in current use.
There are primarily two sets of Rules of Golf: one issued by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) and one issued by the United States Golf Association. Both are revised every few years to maintain the integrity of golf competition. Investigations on limiting the distance of golf balls in these Rules of Golf are slowly being carried out. The dramatic improvements over the past few years in the total distance and initial velocity of golf balls appear to be due not only to improvements in the skill and strength of golfers, but also to the increased use of systems which can easily match golf equipment to the swing of an individual player and to improvements in the performance of golf clubs and balls. Concerning the use of golf clubs and balls in particular, golf course officials have begun voicing the opinion that consideration be given to restricting to some degree the distance and rebound of golf balls so as to keep the standard number of strokes on a golf course the same as up until now (par 72) without having to increase the length of the course.
Of the golf balls that have been disclosed to date, a few are golf balls which intentionally limit the flight performance or are designed to travel a short distance. For example, JP-A 60-194967 describes a short distance golf ball which includes a foam-molded thermoplastic resin polymer and filler material, and has a density gradient that increases along the radius thereof from the center to the surface of the ball.
However, this golf ball undergoes an excessive loss of distance not only at high head speeds, but also at low head speeds, making it too disadvantageous to the golfer in competition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,485 teaches a golf ball which has a low rebound and reduced distance. However, this ball has a high hardness and thus an unpleasant feel on impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,287 discloses a large-diameter golf ball having a diameter of 1.70 to 1.80 inches (43.18 to 45.72 mm), a weight of not more than 1.62 ounces, and a dimple surface coverage of at least 70% relative to the spherical surface of the ball. Yet, because the ball is larger than normal, it feels strange to the player. Moreover, the feel on impact has not been improved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,870 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,413 describe golf balls having a soft core. However, because the purpose of these inventions is to provide a good flight performance, they differ from the present invention in their fundamental aims.